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Divergence without decoupling

Author

Listed:
  • Andrew Noymer

    (University of California, Irvine)

  • Viola Van

    (University of California, Irvine)

Abstract

Background: Divergence of male and female life expectancy is a well-documented phenomenon. Co-movement is a heretofore-neglected aspect of changes in male and female mortality. Objective: We develop a new framework for life expectancy sex differentials in time series, using co-movement/anti-movement and convergence/divergence. Methods: We apply this framework to the Human Mortality Database (HMD), assessing co-movement between male and female life expectancy with the nonparametric test of Goodman and Grunfeld (1961). Results: For every country in the HMD (except three with short spans of data), male and female mortality statistically co-move. This applies even in cases, including ones such as Russia that are well-discussed in the literature, that show extreme divergence between the sexes. The results are reasonably robust to subsetting with a 25-year time-window for all countries. Conclusions: Male and female life expectancy co-move even when the life expectancy sex differential increases. The sex divergence in life expectancy needs to be (re-)considered in light of the fact that male and female life expectancy usually co-move, reflecting overall societal factors.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrew Noymer & Viola Van, 2014. "Divergence without decoupling," Demographic Research, Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, vol. 31(51), pages 1503-1524.
    • Handle: RePEc:dem:demres:v:31:y:2014:i:51
    DOI: 10.4054/DemRes.2014.31.51
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Christopher J. Gerry & Yulia Raskina & Daria Tsyplakova, 2018. "Convergence or Divergence? Life Expectancy Patterns in Post-communist Countries, 1959–2010," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 140(1), pages 309-332, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    mortality; sex differences; life expectancy; international comparisons; Goodman-Grunfeld test;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • J1 - Labor and Demographic Economics - - Demographic Economics
    • Z0 - Other Special Topics - - General

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